Hey Rob,
I'm not sure how it works with Officers, but every time an enlisted servicemember reenlists, they get a DD214 discharge paper. I used my first one to establish eligability for a VA loan on a house. I think it would work for car plates as well.
v/r,
Cob

Officers do not enlist, we are commissioned. No DD214 yet, and won't get one until I retire or otherwise separate. I probably could have brought some sort of certificate or proof of wartime service to accomplish the same results.

Anyone remember ADM Vince Borda? when he was cornered for improperly wearing a vietnam service device on his service ribon, he dispatched himself... the dishonor he felt far outweighed any he stole...

That was ADM Mike Borda, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the Navy's equivalent of the serivec's Chief of Staff. That was too bad he thought the best remedy was to commit suicide.

Funny thing, too. David Hackworth, certainly a hero in his own right, who made the biggest noise about Boorda's awards, was later determined to never have earned several of the awards he claimed (which coincidently were removed from his bio on his website after that news broke...)

I'm with you on this one Robin.

I was all set to be deployed to Iraqi Freedom and broke my foot in training two weeks before my ship date with RCT-5! I was very dissapointed to not go because I felt I was letting my buddies down by sitting on the bench during the "Super Bowl" that we had been training for. They told me they were "jealous" and all wished they were as "lucky" as I was.

I do not consider myself an OIF Vet. I was "IN" just like everyone, but I wasn't "OVER THERE." I did not go through what my buddies went through and still feel like less of a Marine for it. I often wonder how well I would have done. You can't know until you've "been there and done that"

I believe that the Commander or the press just used "Vietnam Veteran" as a label for people who served during that time. To non military folk who are not so educated in "our world", it simply denotes a timeframe and not an AO. I don't think that the Commander was trying to mislead anyone. It was just a convienent term used to describe the time he served.

I'll also tack on a bit more.

Many times as everyone who has served knows you are not given a choice whatsoever as to what (MOS) you get and where you go. Some go to the front lines and "glory" and others to the supply warehouse or the engine room.

That is not the fault of the individual. That person is still to be admired and respected because they are doing more than the other millions at home.

.02 more cents!